Erin & Jeff's Scottish tartan and balloon animal wedding • Offbeat Wed (was Offbeat Bride)

Jeff and Erin at Parliament Hill - Hallway to Library

The offbeat bride: Erin, Project Officer

Her offbeat partner: Jeff, Computer Systems Technician

Date and location of wedding: University of Ottawa, Tabaret Chapel, Ottawa, Ontario Canada — June 3, 2006

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: I worked hard to keep my dress a secret and had my sister wear white. My husband and the groomsmen would be wearing kilts, and none of them matched. In a traditional Scottish wedding, everyone would be wearing their own tartans, so I wanted to make sure that was the case with our friends as well.

We also had a bagpiper play while guests were arriving and to pipe us out of the chapel. It was really handy to have her there as there was a fine mist and it helped guests find the ceremony.

My DJ happened also to be a professional balloon artist, and he did some really cool animals for us. I was also able to take advantage of using a site for pictures that usually doesn't allow wedding photos.

Tell us about the ceremony: We were very lucky and had an officiant that had also been an actor (like me!). He had a fabulous British accent and was very eloquent.

During our ceremony we did a handfasting and Jeff's parents presented me with their tartan to wear.

Our biggest challenge: The biggest challenge was the rain, but I didn't care. I had a beautiful venue in which to take pictures, and a good friend offered to get us into Parliament Hill for pictures inside Center Block, which is usually no longer allowing wedding photos. We were very lucky!

The other challenge was to find a black limo since I didn't want many white elements. Most places in Ottawa carried white ones, but no black ones. I almost resorted to calling funeral homes, but found one at the last minute.

My grandparents couldn't come at the last minute. My grandfather went into the hospital two days before, so he was really upset he could not be at the wedding. My husband and I set up a video camera for the ceremony, and played it back to them once he was out of the hospital.

My favorite moment: The handfasting that we did in the middle of our ceremony. I also loved that everyone learned to line dance!

My funniest moment: The Orange Octopus, courtesy of our DJ, that keep surfacing in pictures!

My advice for offbeat brides: I looked at my wedding as the ultimate performance, so I made sure that everyone would be entertained at every step (including us), and it paid off. There were people who were dancing that I never thought I would see dancing! Also the key is to be yourselves. Even if you think it might be over-the-top, most of your guests know you, so they will roll with it.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? It pays to be prepared and always count on your friends to come up with other options. Otherwise we would never have had a great wedding picture venue beside our wedding site.